Dry run for LRT2 traffic management plan starts Aug 29

The traffic management plan for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) Masinag Extension project will be given a dry run 4 am today, August 29, conducted by the LRT Authority (LRTA) and the Department of Transport and Communications (DOTC).

The traffic plan will open the Marcos Highway-Felix Avenue intersection to allow left turns for vehicles. Flagmen will also be deployed and signages will be installed to assist motorists.

“Mass transportation is a major solution to traffic, because it moves people more efficiently. The LRT-2 extension to Masinag is one of our many railway and bus modernization projects which are precisely designed to ease congestion in and around Metro Manila, so we are eager, and likewise it is imperative, to start work immediately,” DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya said in a statement.

The LRT-2 Masinag Extension project covers the construction of a 3.9-kilometer fully-elevated viaduct along Marcos Highway and two additional stations, one in front of Robinsons Metro East and Sta. Lucia East Grand Malls, and another at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.

The project aims to shorten travel time from Masinag to Recto to 36 minutes from the present one-and-a-half hour travel time via a jeepney or UV Express ride.

Once the project is completed and operational by the third quarter of 2017, it is expected to cater to an additional 75,000 passengers daily.

When it starts in September, the initial construction will begin near the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall. Once construction is in full swing, the entire 3.9-km stretch will reduce lanes for traffic: the current 5 lanes per direction will be down to 4 lanes each, as the innermost lanes of both directions will be closed.

During construction, three intersections along Marcos Highway will be opened for motorists: the Felix Avenue Extension, Amang Rodriguez Intersection, and De La Paz Intersection. There will be u-turn slots provided for every u-turn slot closed to ensure seamless traffic flow.

Aside from these three, six alternate routes are also accessible to give motorists other options, including Sumulong Highway, A. Rodriguez to J. Rizal, Felix Avenue to Fernando Avenue, Calle Industria, Kaginhawaan, and Ortigas Avenue Extension.

The Marcos Highway can accommodate 5,172 vehicles per hour on the westbound lane and 705 vehicles per hour on the eastbound lane during morning peak hours. For the evening peak, there are around 4,219 vehicles per hour on the westbound lane and 3,157 vehicles per hour on the eastbound lane.

The traffic plan will be reviewed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), part of the approval process that will be based in part on the results of the dry run.